Fagus sylvatica var. heterophylla 'Asplenifolia'
Fern-Leaf European Beech

 Plant Type:
 Growth Forms:
 Hardiness:
 Deciduous / Evergreen:
 Flower Notes:
Green (Yellowish-green monoecious catkins; not ornamentally important)
 Foliage Notes:
Green (Handsome deeply-cut, fern-like foliage; emerges late in spring); Bronze (Golden-bronze fall foliage that persists into winter)
 Fruit Notes:
Brown (Three winged nut is edible)
 Ultimate Height:
60 feet
 Ultimate Spread:
50 feet
 Soil Notes:
Prefers acidic soil, some soil moisture and good drainage to perform best; does not tolerate wet and clay soils
 Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves simple, alternate, 2-4" long, fern-like with deeply cut sinuses, lustrous dark green above and light green beneath, glabrous at maturity, silky when young. Petioles can be downy. Buds are long. Slender, pointed with many scales. Fruit is 3-sided nut in prickly husks that ripen in October. Smooth, gray bark that appears wrinkled in some areas, resembling an elephant's hide.

Additional Information

In a proper site, an excellent trouble-free shade tree with year-round interest. More adaptable to hot, dry conditions than our native F. grandifolia, but somewhat less hardy. F. grandifolia is preferred in Zone 4. Low branching habit is a concern for use in the tree lawn as a street tree (may require more pruning than other street trees). 'Asplenifolia' has attractive, fern-like leaves; the cultivar name was derived from the spleenwort fern genus, Asplenium.

Other plants like this Fagus sylvatica var. heterophylla 'Asplenifolia' (Fern-Leaf European Beech)

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